What are your New Year’s Resolutions? As we enter 2015 challenge yourself to add one more resolution to the list: Make intimate partner violence prevention a priority. You don’t need to be the prevention advocate or even work in the domestic violence field to work toward the prevention of intimate partner violence. The idea of preventing intimate partner violence can be overwhelming but we CAN make a difference. We can challenge the social norms that foster violence, we can support healthy relationships and we can be a role model for young people.

Talking with young people about healthy relationships is important but conversations are not enough. Adults need to model healthy relationship for young people. We need to ask: Are we modeling healthy relationship skills for the young people in our lives? Click herefor information from The National Domestic Violence Hotline on healthy relationships. Anyone can make intimate partner violence a priority by taking the steps to role model healthy relationships.

Even adults can struggle with healthy relationships. It takes work and skill development to create a healthy relationship. You do not need all the answers to model healthy behavior. In fact, it’s ok to be honest about the challenges. Healthy relationships do not magically happen, they take work. We need to show the young people in our lives the work it takes to create a healthy relationship. We all feel jealousy at times but that doesn’t mean we can look through our partner’s phone or stop them from participating in activities.

Start your 2015 Prevention Resolution by asking yourself:

• What are your best relationship skills?
• What relationship skills are you still developing?
• How do you talk about your partner and your relationship with young people?
• Are you showing the young people in your life about how to create a healthy relationship?

As you explore your relationship and ability to model healthy relationships, check outStand 4 Respect. Stand 4 Respect is a website from the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence in collaboration with their Youth Council. This website offers great information and tools for engaging young people and adults to promote healthy relationships and prevent dating violence.

The challenge is on: how are you making prevention a priority in 2015?